Houghton waedbl wilson



(No Model.)

H. W. WILSON.

FENCE POST.

o- 356517- Patented Jan.'25, 1887.

Mrs 'ra'rss HOUGHTON WVARDEL XVILSON, OF KINGSTON, ONTARIO/CANADA.

FENCE-POST./

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 356,517, dated January 25, 1887.

Application filed July 6, 1886. Serial No. 307,945. (No model.) Patented in Canada June 27, 1886, No. 24,373.

To all 1071,0171, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOUGHTON WARDEL WILSON, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Kingston, in the county of Frontenac and Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fence-Posts, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in fence-posts; and it consists of the peculiar construction and arrangement of the various parts for service, substantially as hereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved fence-post especially adapted to be planted in deep soil, which shall be securely and rigidly held in the ground against vertical and lateral displacement; to providenovel means for quickly and easily planting or adjusting the posts for use, and to provide an improved post which shall be very simple, strong, and durable in construction, cheap and inexpensive of manufacture, and thoroughly effective in operation.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a fence-post embodying my present invention, Figure l is a side elevation of the post adjusted in the ground. Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the post and foot removed from the ground. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional View on the line :0 x of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a de tached perspective view of the foot.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures, A designates the post proper, B the foot therefor, and O the sleeve or casting for detachably and adj ustably connecting the post and the foot together, the peculiar construction and arrangement of which I will now proceed to describe in detail.

The post A is preferably made of metal from a fiat bar, and it is pointed or tapered at its lower end, as at a, to adapt it to readily enter or penetrate the ground. The post is'provided along one of its edges with a series of notches, a, which are arranged at any suitable distance apart, and in these notches are adapted to take one of the portions of the binding or clamping wires 6 of the fence-wires Ewhen it is desired to use a wire fence, the wire E bearing against the post A, and the wire 0 fitting in one of the notches of the post A and having its free ends twisted around the fence-wire E, as clearly shown. The fence-wire may be differentlysecured to the post A, as this feature does not form a part of my present invention, and in lieu of securing a fence-wire thereto a panel or rail may be connected or secured on the post, as is obvious.

The sleeve or connecting-piece U is provided with a horizontal opening, 0, and a vertical opening, 0, which are arranged at right angles to each other. These openings 0 c are arranged so that they communicate with each other; but, if it is desired, the vertical opening 0 may be located to one side of the horizontal opening, so that they are disconnected. or communication between the twois cut off. The vertical opening 0 is designed to receive the post A, which passes therethrough, and the sleeve 0 is adapted to be moved freely vertically on the post, so that the latter can be driven into the ground any desired distance, the post and sleeve being very securely and rigidly connected together by means of a wedgeshaped key, F, which is inserted or driven between the sleeve and the post, as shown in Fig. 1.

The foot Bis made or bent from a single piece of bar-shaped metal, and comprises the straight horizontal bar or connecting-pieceb and the inclined arms or prongs b at the free ends of the connectingpiece. These arms or prongs are inclined or arranged at an angle to the connecting-piece, and they are inclined in opposite directions or away from each other, so that they lie on opposite sides of the connecting-piece, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In addition to being inclined on opposite sides of the connectingpiece, the arms or prongs are bent or inclined inwardly toward each other and the post A, and as they are at opposite ends of the connecting-piece the arms lie on opposite sides of the fence-post A. By reason of the arms or prongs being inclined in opposite directions laterally of the connecting-piece and inwardly toward the fence-post the foot B has the action of a screw when it is driven into the ground, and the foot is thereby im movably and rigidly held from vertical or lateral displacement.

The conneetingpieee of the foot is passed through the horizontal passage or opening formed in the sleeve or connecting-picce, and at or near its middle this connecting-piece has a notched portion, 9, formed or cut in one of its sides, an auxiliary shoulder or ledge, 9, being out within the notch g, which shoulder is adapted to take or fitinto one of the notches formed in one of the side edges of the post A when it passes through the vertical passage of the sleeve and the notch g in the connectingpiece.

This being the construction 01 my improved fence-post, the operation thereof is as follows: The sleeve is first fitted on the bar that forms the foot before the ends of the latter are bent to provide the prongs, after which the prongs are formed and the lower end of the post passes through the sleeve. The post is now ready to be driven, and it and the prongs of the feet are now adjusted to receive the blows of a sledge-hammer or other suitable implement to force them into the ground to the proper depth. The connecting-piece is arranged at right angles or transversely across the line of the fence, and italso rests or bears on the surface of the ground, while its prongs enter the ground and serve to prevent either vertical or lateral displacement of the foot and the post when either of the said parts are subjected to blows, pulls, &c. The slecve is adjusted on the connecting-piece of the foot so that the vertical opening 0 aligns with the notch g, and the post is driven through the sleeve and into the ground until one of the notches thereof comes opposite to the shoulder 9, which enters the notch. The horizontal connecting-piece or bar of the foot isextended 011 opposite sides of and at right angles to the line of the fence to any suitable or desired distance; and for the purpose of retaining the said connecting piece or bar in its proper-position Iprovide the diagonal prongs, which are arranged at diverging angles to the edges of the post, and not to the flat side thereof.

I attach especial importance to the foot having the diagonal or inclined prongs and twisted longitudinally so that the edges thereof are presented to the edges of the post, as by this construction the horizontal bar or connecting-piece is retained immovably in the ground and thereby prevented from either vertical or lateral displacement; and when any pull, strain, or force is exerted upon the post and the foot thereof, the prongs of the latter will exert a force or pressure edgewise upon the surrounding earth and laterally of the line of the fence, and cause them to penetrate deeper into the ground, owing to the twist given thereto by bending them diagonally and inwardly. The prongs are thus arranged a suitable distance apart on opposite sides of the line of the fence, and as they are twisted longitudinally and extend in opposite directions, they somewhat resemble a screw, which gives them their peculiar functions and advantages just described for retaining the foot and post against movement.

My improved fenee-post and the foot therefor are very simple, strong, and durable in construction, as they are made from a single piece of metal of suitable size and strength, and they are also very cheap and inexpensive of manufacture.

I do not wish to be limited to constructing the foot of a single piece of metal, as I am aware that other methods of construction may be provided with equally good effect.

Two ways or methods of bracing fence-posts are generally used. One is the horizontal and the other the oblique. My improvements relate especially to the oblique method, which I have adopted for the reason that it insures greater strength and stability to the posts, while at the same time the. fence can be constructed with equal facility and ease.

I am aware of United States Patents Nos. 213,932 and 233,018, which show a vertical sleeve through which passes the fence-post, to be retained in place thereby, and the inclined braces which pass through oblique slots or passages in thesleeve. These braces are made of flat or round pieces of straight metal, and they are presented with their flat and round sides to the flat sides of the post. My invention differs from these devices, from the fact that I employ a foot which is made from a single piece of metal and consists of a horizontal eonnectingpiece or bar, through which passes the fence-post, and the diagonal twisted prongs at the ends of the connectingpiece. In my invention the connecting-piece is arranged transversely of the line of the fence and rests or bears very firmly on the ground, to insure additional strength to the structure, and the diagonal twisted prongs extend or incline in opposite directions and have their flat sides presented to the edges of the post, whereby the foot and the post are immovably held in their proper relative positions against blows, pressure, or shocks, which will serve to more firmly secure the devices in place, as heretofore described, rather than to loosen them.

I attach especial importance to the inclination of the prongs b on opposite sides of the connecting-piece b, or on opposite sides of the vertical line of the post, as by that means all tendency of the foot to move to either side is effectually resisted. The location of the connecting-piece b, with the flat side resting on the ground, contributes in no little degree to the holding properties of the foot.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. The herein-described foot for afence-post, comprising the horizontal part or piece I) and the prongs 2/, near the ends of the piece or part b, said prongs inclining in opposite direc tions away from each other beyond the vertical plane or line of the part or piece 12 and also inwardly toward the center of the part or piece I), as set forth.

2. The combination, with a post having a notch, a, of a sleeve having the openings or passages c 0, arranged at right angles to each other, the opening or passage 0 receiving the post and the foot received in passage 0 and provided with the notch g and the shoulder g, the post passing through notch g and the shoulder g fitting in the notch a of the post, as set forth.

3. In a fencepost, the sleeve G, having pas= sages or openings 0 c, in combination with the post passing through the opening 0, the foot passing through opening 0 and notched to receive the-fence-post, and the key or wedge F, to hold the post in the notch of the foot, as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HOUGHTON WARDEL WILSON. Vitnesses:

O. H. HOOPER, E. A. BOOTH. 

